Events

WIP Summit 2013 – European Parliament

The inaugural “WIP Annual Summit” was the first time in history that all female Parliamentarians in the world were invited to gather in a unique conference in Brussels. Around 600 participants from more than 100 countries came together, which made the WIP Annual Summit an unprecedented occasion to discuss the issues on the Global Agenda from the perspective of female political leaders. Issues that were being addressed reached from “financial markets steered by women” to “women working together in the fight against corruption”.

An outstanding selection of speakers contributed to the Keynote presentations, the five Interactive Plenary Debates, the WIP Award Ceremonies and the Working Groups, including several Nobel Prize Winners, Heads of Government, European Commissioners, Ministers, Academics and high profile representatives of the Civil Society and Philanthropy. The event was co-hosted by the European Parliament and international partners like the UN Development Programme and UN Women, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Transparency International, the World Economic Forum and the World Bank contributed Working Groups to the programme. Please find the programme online.

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Background information:

120 years ago, on the 28th of November 1893, the women of New Zealand became the first in the world to vote in a national election. To mark this milestone, the Women in Parliaments Global Forum (WIP) hosted its annual summit in the European Parliament. WIP’s mission is to advance society by using the collective strength and ability of over 9000 female Parliamentarians across the world.

The cornerstones of the summit were:

High-level keynote speeches

Panel debates / interactive plenary sessions

Working groups

Award ceremonies to honour countries for leadership in closing the gender gap

Townhall meeting

Networking opportunities

The issues include:

Reshaping society through female leadership

Be the change you wish to see in the world

Reverse reality – what if: ‘Lehman Sisters’ or the sisterhood ran G20 and big business

The mother of female empowerment: peace, security and the integrity of the person

All men are created equal. So are women. Bridging societal gaps

Moving beyond numbers – the impact of elected women in Parliaments

Working together in the ! ght against corruption

How can Parliaments deliver on gender equality

The role of academics and women’s colleges in shaping the world’s future female leaders

Use of technology and women’s political participation

The working groups were organized in cooperation with international partners, such as:

UN Development Programme and UN Women

Inter-Parliamentary Union

EY and Transparency International

World Bank

iKNOW Politics and the National Democratic Institute

Programme/

The WIP Annual Summit 2013 will also marked the historic anniversary of 120 years of women’s suffrage. On the 28 November 1893, the women of New Zealand became the first in the world to vote in a national election!

The cornerstones of the WIP Annual Summit were:

High-level keynote speeches

Panel debates / interactive plenary sessions

Working Groups

Award ceremonies to honour countries for leadership in closing the gender gap

Townhall meeting

Networking opportunities

The issues that were addressed included:

Reshaping society through female leadership

Be the change you wish to see in the world

Reverse reality – what if: ‘Lehman Sisters’ or the sisterhood ran G20 and big business

The mother of female empowerment: peace, security and the integrity of the person

All men are created equal. So are women. Bridging societal gaps

Moving beyond numbers – the impact of elected women in Parliaments

Corruption – killing progress

How can Parliaments deliver on gender equality

Gender studies in academics

The Global Gender Gap Report 2013

The Working Groups were organized in cooperation with international partners, such as:

UN Development Programme and UN Women

Inter-Parliamentary Union

Transparency International and Ernst & Young

World Economic Forum

World Bank

The WIP Annual Summit 2013 wasa memorable occasion, bringing together female Parliamentarians from across the globe in the spirit of advancing society.

P.S. As we have launched our Social Media campaign recently, we would like to encourage you to follow us on Twitter @WIPGlobalForum and like our Facebook page to stay up to date on news regarding the WIP Annual Summit 2013, and to engage in discussions online. Support us by spreading our message about the significance of WIP using #WIPSummit2013 and #advancingsociety.

Practical informations

Venues

Dresscode and Seating Arrangements

Conference: Dresscode Business Casual. Priority seating will be given to Members of Parliament.

Gala Dinner: Dresscode Business Casual. Please be aware that participation in the Gala Dinner is only possible with the invitation card handed to you at the accreditation on Wednesday. You are free to choose your table at the Gala Dinner.

Reception hosted by the President of the Senate of Belgium: Dresscode Business Casual.

Festival of Cultures: Appearance in your traditional clothing from your home countries would be very much appreciated, as this event is supposed to celebrate all the cultures getting together at the WIP Annual Summit 2013.

Transport

Transport will be provided from the European Parliament to the evening venues. All other transport has to be arranged by yourself.

Taxi

Media

The WIP Annual Summit is open to the media. Keynotes and Panel Discussions will be webstreamed.

Participants

Invitations to the WIP Annual Summit have been sent to all female Parliamentarians around the world.

Participants came from more than 100 countries:

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Armenia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahrain

Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Brazil

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

China

Croatia

Cyprus

Denmark

Djibouti

Ecuador

El Salvador

European Parliament

Estonia

Finland

France

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Germany

Greece

Honduras

Hungary

Iceland

India

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kingdom of Bahrain

Kiribati

Kuwait

Latvia

Lebanon

Liberia

Luxembourg

Macedonia

Malawi

Malaysia

Maledives

Mauritius

Mexico

Monaco

Mongolia

Morocco

New Zealand

Niger

Nigeria

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Palau

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Republic of Congo

Republic of Korea

Republic of Macedonia

Republic of Moldova

Romania

Russian Federation

Rwanda

Saint Lucia

Saudi Arabia

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Sweden

Syria

Tanzania

Thailand

Tunisia

Turkey

Uganda

United Kingdom

United Arab Emirates

United States of America

Zambia

FAQ

Please find below answers to the most frequently asked questions, which might be helpful in the preparation of your participance of the Women in Parliaments (WIP) Annual Summit 2013.

Who will be the participants of the WIP Summit?

The participants are female Members of national Parliaments from all over the world.

Is the Women in Parliaments Global Forum able to provide any financial assistance for participants interested in attending?

As WIP is a not-for-profit foundation, we hope you understand that, despite our best efforts, we are unfortunately not in a position to cover travel and accommodation expenses at this moment.

Are there any registration fees?

There are no registration fees.

Who will be paying for travel and accommodation costs?

Travel and accommodation costs should be covered by theParliamentarians. However, Brussels Airlines is the official carrier of the WIP Annual Summit 2013 and offers special fares for participants at up to a 20% discount. WIP will also provide booking assistance in cooperation with 10 hotels in Brussels. We have secured block bookings for hotel rooms at rates exclusive to the participants of the WIP Annual Summit. To take advantage of these discounts, please send an e-mail to summit2013@wip-gf.net.

What is the official language of the Summit?

The official language of the Conference is English.

Will there be any translations available?

Translations in French and Spanish will be provided.

Would you be able to provide assistance for any visa requirements?

WIP will provide all the assistance you need for your Visa requirements. If you need a visa to attend the WIP Annual Summit in Brussels, Belgium, you need to follow the normal/regular visa application procedure in your country.
1. In addition, if deemed helpful, WIP and the European Parliament are glad to be of further assistance by sending a Verbal Note to the respective Embassy.
2. In order to produce such a Verbal Note, please provide us with the following details:
I. Copy of the passport OR full name (as written in your passport), date of birth and nationality.
II. Address of the Embassy where the visa application will/was submitted.
3. Please also provide us with the address of the Embassy where the visa application will/has been submitted and we will take care that a Verbal Note will be issued to support your visa application.

Invited and confirmed speakers

Irene Naa Torshie Addo

Member of the Parliament of Ghana

Roberta Angelilli

Vice-President of the European Parliament

Catherine Ashton

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Jörg Asmussen

Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank

Nino Burjanadze

Former acting President of Georgia and Speaker of the Georgian Parliament

Zainab Bangura

Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict

Kathy Calvin

President and CEO of the UN Foundation

Margaret Chan

Director-General of the World Health Organization

Yoon-Sun Cho

Minister of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea

Ertharin Cousin

Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme

Sabine de Bethune

President of the Senate of Belgium

Isabelle Durant

Vice-President of the European Parliament

Amanda Ellis

Permanent Representative for the United Nations

Benita Ferrero-Waldner

President of the EU-LAC Foundation

Dalia Grybauskaite

President of Lithuania

Zita Gurmai

Member of the European Parliament

Mikael Gustafsson

Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality of the European Parliament

Mo Ibrahim

Founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation

Sophie in ‘t Veld

Member of the European Parliament

Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga

Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda

Mari Kiviniemi

OECD Deputy Secretary General and former Prime Minister of Finland

Silvana Koch-Mehrin

Founder of WIP. Former Vice-President of the European Parliament

Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir

Minister of the Interior Iceland

Neelie Kroes

Vice-President of the European Commission

Joyce Laboso

Deputy Speaker of the Kenya National Assembly

Pascal Lamy

former Director General of the World Trade Organisation

Virginija Langbakk

Director of the European Institute for Gender Equality

Loren B. Legarda

Member of the Senate of the Philippines

Donatille Mukabalisa

Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Rwanda

Anni Podimata

Vice-President of the European Parliament

Viviane Reding

Vice-President of the European Commission

Habiba Sadat

Member of the House of the People of Afghanistan

Uschi Schreiber

Global Markets Leader and Global Government and Public Sector Leader at Ernst & Young